Exercise Beats Calories in Fighting Obesity

The obesity epidemic has more to do with not exercising than with overeating, a study suggests. Using nationwide survey data from 1988–2010, researchers found that over a third of all adults were obese by 2010, up from about a quarter of women and a fifth of men in 1988. The percentage of women who said they never exercised rose from 19 percent in 1994 to 52 percent in 2010. A similar rise was seen among men: from 11 percent to 44 percent. But the average number of calories adults ate per day did not change over that time. The findings suggest that more attention should be paid to exercise in fighting obesity.Source:The American Journal of Medicine, published online July 7, 2014